Legal/privacy

While Apple’s decision to phase out the use of unique device identifier numbers may impact the ability of marketers to behaviorally and contextually target mobile users, it could be a good thing for privacy concerns.

A class action suit against Apple and several book publishers claims the companies engaged in anticompetitive behavior that caused ebook prices to rise and force intense competition between Apple and Amazon over digital content.

Score one for Apple in its ongoing patent infringement battle involving Samsung, with the Korean handset manufacturer agreeing to keep its Galaxy Tab 10.1 out of Australia until the legal issues are resolved.

Apple, Google and Facebook are all giants in the mobile space, but it is a role that often comes with intense scrutiny over the intentions of the three companies and whether or not they have end-users' best interests at heart.

Mobile applications are facing growing scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission as the agency builds up its public education around mobile and continues to speak out about the need for a universal do-not-track mechanism.

While the list of mobile-related lawsuits seems to be getting longer by the day, many of the companies involved simply see it as the price that has to be paid to operate in the competitive mobile space.

If Google acquires Nortel’s patent portfolio – which is a possibility given that a governmental antitrust review saw nothing wrong with such a deal – it will gain a leg up in future patent-infringement lawsuits.